HomeMy WebLinkAboutRESOLUTIONS - 11011994 - 94-541 THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
Adopted this Order on November 1, 1994, by the following vote:
AYES: Supervisors Smith, Bishop, DeSaulnier, Torlakson, Powers
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
SUBJECT: Amendments to Standards for )
Administration of the General ) Resolution No. 94/541
Assistance Program )
The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors RESOLVES that, Resolution
91/606, adopting standards of aid and care for the indigent and dependent
poor of the County (General Assistance) , effective November 1, 1991, as
amended by Resolutions 91/710, 91/811, 92/186, 92/553, 92/671, 92/697 and
92/857 is hereby further amended as follows, effective September 1, 1994 .
Part 7
701 . Initial and continued eligibility is conditioned upon the
applicant' s and recipient's full cooperation with the Social
Service Department and upon compliance with all applicable
policies and regulations governing the GA program. Applicant and
recipient responsibilities embodied in this resolution include,
but are not limited to, those set forth on forms GA 201A and GA
34, which are provided to and shall be executed by all applicants
prior to the granting or restoration of aid. Aid discontinuance
or sanctions may be imposed when an individual fails or refuses
without good cause to comply with a GA program requirement.
702 . A recipient who is able bodied and mentally competent and who has
received General Assistance aid for a total of at least three
months, who engages in any of the following conduct shall be
discontinued and shall be ineligible for aid for 180 days:
(a) Fails, or refuses, without good cause, to participate in a
qualified job training program, participation of which is a
condition of receipt of assistance.
(b) After completion of a job training program, fails, or refuses
without good cause, to accept an offer of appropriate employment.
(c) Persistently fails, or refuses, without good cause, to cooperate
with the county in its efforts to do any of the following:
( 1 ) Enroll the recipient in a job training program.
(2) After completion of a job training program locate and secure
appropriate employment for the recipient.
703 . A recipient who fails or refuses to comply with other General
Assistance program requirements as expressed in this Resolution
or in the Social Service Department Manual of Policies and
Procedures shall be discontinued aid, and sanctions will be
imposed as follows, unless the recipient shows that the failure
or refusal to comply was for good cause:
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(a) The first discontinuance for failure or refusal to comply with
program requirements shall be followed by a one month period of
ineligibility; the second discontinuance for failure or refusal
to comply with program requirements shall be followed by , a three
month period of ineligibility; and a third discontinuance for
failure or refusal to comply with program requirements shall be
followed by a six-month period of ineligibility. Thereafter,
each subsequent discontinuance for failure or refusal to comply
with program requirements shall be followed by a six month period
of ineligibility.
(b) If a year has passed from the date of the end of the last period
of ineligibility, without the initiation of procedures for a
failure to comply with a program requirement which result in
sanction, the cycle will begin again; i.e. the next
discontinuance for failure or refusal to comply with program
requirements shall be followed by a one month period of
ineligibility.
(c) The period of ineligibility shall apply to any member of a
General Assistance assistance unit who has failed or refused to
comply with program requirements :
704 . Provisions governing discontinuance of aid and sanctions :
(a) The Social Service Department is responsible for showing that a
failure or refusal to comply with General Assistance (GA) program
requirements occurred.
(b) The GA applicant or recipient who alleges that he or she has good
cause for his or her failure or refusal to comply with program
requirements is responsible for showing that good cause exists .
(c) The Social Service Department has no obligation to determine
willfulness or lack of good cause before sending warning notices,
failure to comply notices, or notices of -proposed action.
(d) The following procedure shall be followed by the Department when
determining whether to give notice of a proposed sanction or
discontinuance for failure to comply with a GA program
requirement:
( 1) The first failure or refusal to comply with a program requirement
shall result in a warning notice in lieu of a sanction. This
warning notice shall advise of the failure to comply and state
that:
(i ) Future failures to comply without good cause shall be subject to
sanction.
(ii) The Department shall clear the warning notice if the recipient
contacts the responsible staff person within ten days and shows
good cause. - Not more than twice, the Department shall clear a
warning notice if the recipient arranges for a new opportunity to
comply with the program requirement and complies with the program
requirement.
(iii) If the warning notice is cleared, the recipient shall be entitled
to another warning notice in lieu of sanction for the next
failure to comply.
( 2 ) Once a recipient has an uncleared warning notice, further
failures to comply will be subject to sanction, but before a
notice of proposed action may be sent, a failure to comply notice
will be given, offering the recipient the opportunity within ten
days to contact the responsible staff person and clear the
noncompliance by showing good cause.
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(3 ) If one year has elapsed since the end of the last period of
discontinuance or ineligibility, without the initiation of
procedures for a failure to comply with a program requirement
which result in sanctions, the process for imposing sanctions
shall begin again as stated in subparagraph ( 1) above.
(e) When a general assistance applicant or recipient is found to be
mentally or physically disabled sufficiently to affect the
application of general assistance program requirements, the
disability status shall be made a part of the person' s record,
and the record shall be flagged and program requirements shall be
modified or waived, in whole or in part, as necessary, to make a
reasonable accommodation for the individual's disability.
(f) Flagged mental or physical disabilities shall be considered
whenever disabled persons fail or refuse to follow general
assistance program requirements . Prior to the issuance of one of
the notices listed in part (d) , a flagged case record shall be
reviewed. If it appears from the case record that a failure or
refusal likely occurred on account of the disability, the
recipient shall not be sanctioned.
705 . An applicant who fails to comply with program requirements by
failing to meet any one of his or her responsibilities shall be
denied aid.
Failure to comply with program requirements includes, but is not
limited to, failure to cooperate in meeting program requirements
or carrying out program duties .
706 . An applicant who is serving a General Assistance/General Relief
period of ineligibility from another California County is
ineligible for General Assistance in Contra Costa County for the
duration of the other county's sanction period.
707 . An applicant who has quit without compelling cause, or been fired
for cause from a job within sixty days prior to the date of the
General Assistance application is ineligible for General
Assistance for sixty days from the last day of his or her
employment.
708 . An applicant or recipient who provides fraudulent information in
order to qualify for a General Assistance grant or for a larger
grant, or to avoid termination or reduction of aid, shall serve a
six month period of ineligibility.
709 . When an applicant for aid is denied, a new application shall be
required to establish eligibility; when a recipient is
discontinued, a new application shall be required to establish
eligibility.
Orig. Dept: County Counsel
cc: Social Service I hereby certify that this Is a true and correct copy of
County Administrator an action taken and entered on the minutes of the
Auditor-Controller Board of Supe on t`dhown.
ATTESTED: ���UJ 7 d"
PHIL BATCHELOR,clerk of the Board
of Supervisors and County Administrator
By Deputv
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